Dec 06 - Smoking Increases, Levels Of Obesity Still High – Health Survey Published
Three out of five adults in Gibraltar are overweight or obese and smoking levels have increased slightly according to the second Health and Lifestyle survey which was published today.
The new survey took place in February 2015 and its results are now available to the public in the record time of 21 months.
The Survey report contains a wealth of information about the health and lifestyle of our population, but the top four findings are:
- The levels of Obesity remain high. Three out of Five adults in Gibraltar are overweight or obese.
- Smoking levels are high. Smoking prevalence in Gibraltar is higher than in all the countries chosen for comparison. Smoking has actually increased from 2008, particularly in younger people.
- Alcohol consumption in the population is generally low at all ages and in comparison to the countries studied.
- People in Gibraltar have a good awareness of the risk factors related to skin cancer and have a generally healthy attitude towards risky sunbathing behaviour.
The Survey report contains a lot more detail than this. For example, it also examined what people eat, their perceptions about their health, how they exercise, their use of health services and many other aspects of health and lifestyle.
All in all, over 24,000 separate pieces of data have been captured and analysed.
The Report will be widely available. A limited quantity of print copies of the full 200-page report has been produced and will be distributed to libraries, schools and other locations where the public can access it. A condensed 16-page version of the report has also been produced and will be distributed to people’s homes in Gibraltar in the coming months. A PDF version of the full report will shortly be made available for download on the GHA website.
The Government says that producing two successive Health Surveys is a “great achievement for our small nation.”
Launching the Survey Report, Minister Cortes said: “This Survey provides us with the information, and challenges us all to do our best to improve our health and that of our families. For we are people and not statistics, and we must do all we can to live better, live longer, and be happier.”
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